Tomjanovich's Backcourt Moves Pay Off This Time

NBA Finals notebook

NEW YORK — There were signs that the Rockets backcourt was in disarray after Game 2 of the NBA Finals.

Coach Rudy Tomjanovich sat Kenny Smith and Mario Elie for most of the second half. Elie said there was some bickering about it. The Rockets lost Game 2.

But they did not lose Game 3. They held off the Knicks for a 93-89 victory Sunday night at Madison Square Garden and took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Specific thanks must go to the guards, particularly a rookie point guard.

Sam Cassell, who played atrociously down the stretch in Game 2, bounced back to score the Rockets' final seven points Sunday.

He hit a three-point field goal that put the Rockets ahead to stay. Then, he made four free throws in the last 22 seconds. Cassell finished with 15 points in 22 minutes.

The starter, Kenny Smith, watched from the bench.

``There's no set formula [to the guard rotation],'' Tomjanovich said. ``A lot of times, in the fourth quarter when the game is under control, a guy who came off the bench may stay in the game.

``I know it's very tough to take as a player. But my job is to win games, and it worked for us during the season. There's no formula for [substituting], and it's a gamble. If it doesn't turn out right, the morale suffers. I've been lucky that most of my decisions have turned out well for us.''

O'Donnell explains call

Official Jake O'Donnell, on the offensive foul call he made on Patrick Ewing with 28.7 seconds remaining and the Knicks trailing by one point: ``It was a judgment call. The play was a pick-and-roll. He moved his hip out and then he did it again. I'm not going to let it happen twice.'' . . . Knicks coach Pat Riley knows now his team won't be comfortable at home. ``When you play at home, you sometimes get into a comfort zone,'' he said. ``You think the Garden itself will win games for you. You have to do it yourself.''

The Rockets outrebounded the Knicks 47-42. For the third consecutive game, the better rebounding team won. . . . Led by Cassell's 15 points, Houston's bench outscored the Knicks', 25-14. For the third game, the winning team had the better bench. . . . Ewing's seven blocks were a Knicks' playoff record. The Finals record is eight, shared by Rockets center Hakeem Olajuwon and Bill Walton.